Colored gas signal



April 1946. D. M. M MILLAN ET AL 2,398,545

COLOBED GAS SIGNALS Filed Oct. 7, 1941 i J W Inventw Doa yzas /7 Aida W523am 752m J a'nZon 4315972? Waz'ra Attorney Patented Apr. 16, 1946COLORED GAS SIGNAL Douglas M. MacMillan, Berkeley, John Vinton, SanFrancisco, and Albert C. Paiva, Berkeley, Calif. said Paiva assignor tosaid Vinton Application October 7, 1941, Serial No. 414,034 3 Claims.(01. 102-373) Our invention relates to improvements in co ored gassignals for civilian and military use to provide visible warning in thedaytime or in the nighttime and/or to provide illumination,

and the primar object of our invention is to provide more reliable andefficient arrangements of the character indicated.

Other important objects and advantages of our invention will be apparentfrom a reading of the following description taken in connection with theappended drawing, wherein for purposes of illustration we have'shownpreferred embodiments of our invention.

In the drawingg Figure 1 is a side View of a device embodying a form ofthe invention.

Figure 2 is an approximately central longitudinal sectional View takenthrough Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken through Figure 1, line3-3.

The chemica1 combustible compounds utilized in the various forms of theinvention shown in the drawing are especially devised, in the case ofthe colored gas producing composition, to produce a brilliant and richcolor, and in the case of the illuminating vapor or gas, to provide abrilliant and eflicient source of illumination, the vapors or gasesbeing capable of mixing together without undesirably modifying eachother or destroying either the rich full color or the degree ofillumination when the gases are evolved simultaneously and in closeproximity to each other.

Our color gas producing compound is a compacted porous mixture whichconsists of a suitable oxidizer, such as potassium chlorate, a suitablecombustible substance such as lactose, a

suitable aniline compound or die such as paranitraniline red, with orwithout an intensifier such as montan wax. The preferred compound ofthis colored gas producing medium is as follows:

Parts Potassium chlorate 16 to 20 Lactose 12 to 16 Paranitraniline red70 to '74 Montan wax to 2 Another colored gas or vapor producingcompound in conformance with the present invention is preferablycomposed ofv of its shape.

The' preferred illumining gas or vapor producing compound is. asfollows:"

Parts Strontium nitrate 40 Potassium chlorate 12 Sawdust -s 31 Dextrine'7 Red gum 10 Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the form thereinshown is especially suitable to be thrown from a moving vehicle; as thesame will come to rest quickly and avoid excessive rolling, because Thisform'is especially suitable for either day or night signaling as itcombines the fullest efficiency of both color ignition and illumination.The device comprises the colored gas emitting container and theillumination producing composition container 22, both of suitable metalor other suitable material so that they do not burn away and havingtheir closed bottoms secured in side by side spaced relation on a base23. The sides of the container 60 are perforated by holes which arepreferably although not necessarily spirally arranged, while the sidesof the container 22 are imperforate. A plain shallow cap 24' closes theupper end of the container 60. A removable cap llc held in place by atape I20 removably closes the upper end of the container 22 to holdwadding H0 in place on the upper end of the illuminating material body210 which tilts the interior of the container 22 flush with the upperend thereof. A starting friction pellet 16c is present in the upper endof the body 2lc tobe ignited by the friction part of the cap Ilc whenthe cap has been removed. Various materials can be used to provide thefriction starting pellet. We have successfully utilized one comprisingby weight 13 parts each of ferrous sulphide and antimony trisulphide, 21parts potassium nitrate and 3 parts of dextrin. The friction startingpellet has a lateral extension 25 which extends through a tube 36connecting the upper parts of the containers 6c and 22, and throughwhich the pellet portion 25 passes to produce ignitionof the upper endof the color producing chemical body He.

The air space between the containers to and 22 prevents undesirabletransmission of heat between the two containers and their contents. Theupper end of the container 60 being closed. the color producing vaporsor gases leave the container only by means of the apertures or holes 90,which are considerably depressed below said upper end whereas theillumination producing vapors are emitted from the container 22 throughthe open top thereof, so that there is no direct mixture or conflictbetween the two gases or vapors, at their formative stage whichotherwise would impair their mutual color or efiectiveness, thecommingling of the gases taking place only as the colored gas risesnaturally into contact with the illumining gas.

Thus it 'wilkbe :understood that present invene tion comprises -meanswhereby colored smoke is produced by emitting the colored gas at a pointbelow the fires of the burning end of theflare in order to preserve therichness .and intensity of the colored gas produced. By the disclosedmethod any color ofwgasporsmoke canbe obtained by substituting forrtheparanitrani-:

.1. A signal of the character described com-v prising a first tubularcontainer of a substantially non-combustible materialand having animperforate side ;wall, an ignitable and combustible composition saidcontainer. adapted toburn with abrilliantluminous flameuponignition andprovide a torch,. said containerrhaving;only,one

endthereof-open to .directthe flame evolvedby said composition awayrfromsaid first, container alongand. in thedirectio'n of the longitudinalaxisof said first container, a second tubular container having a perforateside wall, a combustible composition in said second container adapted toburn substantially without a flame but with copious evolution of acolored gas to provide a smoke-like signal, said second container havinga closure at each end thereof to force evolved gas to be directed fromsaid second contamer-through the perforate sidewall; thereof and awayfrom the open end of said first container to avoid contact between thecolored gas emitted from the second container and the flame emitted fromthe. first container, and ignition means for igniting an end of saidflame-emission composi-tiQnjn' said first-container and for igniting thesmokeeemissionn composition in said second container to effectsimultaneous burning in both saidcontainers.

2. A signal as in claim 1 wherein the first container is positionedalongside of the second containerbut spaced therefrom with that end ofthe firstcontainer from whichthe torch flame is emitted upon ignitionlying beyond the adjacent and corresponding end of the second con:tainer. 7 1

3. A signal as in claim' 1 wherein the first and the second'containerare, secured in a sideby -side substantially parallel but spacedrelationship on a common support basewith the upper torch flame emissionendof the first container lying above the adjacent but .spaced end ofthe second container. 7

DOUQLAS M, MA MILLAN. JOHN VINTQN,

ALBERT C. PAIVA;

